Matt Lea, who was aide to Mayor Ron Littlefield, has joined the sheriff's office.
He will be the new public information officer responsible for public, media and government relations.
Janice Atkinson recently retired from the post.
Mr. Lea most recently worked for Schnellecke Logistics as manager of communications and human resources.
He was Chattanooga’s lobbyist to the Tennessee General Assembly for seven years. Before that he served as a field representative for Senator Bill Frist. He also served as a firefighter for 10 years.